Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 August 2021

Topic: Defense News

1. DRDO successfully tests ‘Nirbhay’ Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile.

• DRDO has successfully tested the ‘Nirbhay’ Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile, powered by the Made-in-India ‘Manik’ Turbofan Engine.
• The missile has been developed by a DRDO laboratory in Bengaluru, Aeronautical Development Establishment.
• The engine of the missile has been developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a DRDO laboratory in Bengaluru.
• The main objective of the test is to assess the performance of the ‘Manik’ Small Turbofan Engine (STFE) developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
• ‘Nirbhay’ missile has a range of 1000 kilometers. It is the first Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile developed in India.

Topic: Agriculture

2. India exported consignment of indigenous Mohua from Chhattisgarh to France.

• India exported the first consignment of dehydrated Mohua flowers from Chhattisgarh to France.
• Mohua flowers were collected from the forest of Korba district and processed by APEDA.
• The indigenous Mohua or Madhuca Longifolia flowers are mainly found in the state of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• The indigenous Mohua is a rich source of natural sugars. It is used for making liquor, medicine & syrup.
• The export of Mohua flowers will increase the income of cultivators and suppliers. It will also open the scope of its industrial use.
• India recently exported dragon fruit and naga Mircha. APEDA is responsible for the promotion of the export of agricultural products.  

Topic: State News/Chhattisgarh

3. Chhattisgarh becomes the first state to recognize Community Forest Resource Rights in urban area.

• Chhattisgarh has become the first state to recognize Community Forest Resource Rights in an urban area.
• Chhattisgarh government has recognised rights to residents of three wards in Nagari nagar panchayat of Dhamtari district over 4,127 hectares of forests.
• The government has also recognised community resource rights over 5,544 hectares of forest within the core area of the tiger reserve area.
• The rights have been recognised in core areas of Sitanadi Udanti Tiger Reserve area spread over Masulkhoi, Karhi, Joratarai, Bahigaon, and Baroli. These areas mainly spread across Dhamtari and Gariyaband districts.
• In Chhattisgarh, villagers were not allowed in core areas of the tiger reserve. With the recognition of rights, gram sabha has a say in allowing villagers access to the forest.
• Under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, Community Forest Resource Right gives gram sabhas the right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any forest resources used by the entire community, or village.
• Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, distributed certificates at a programme in Raipur on the occasion of International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.
• He also released an “atlas” of tribal communities living in Chhattisgarh. Tribals make up more than 31% of the population of Chhattisgarh.

Topic: Appointments

4. Kamlesh Kumar Pant appointed as new chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).

• Kamlesh Kumar Pant has been appointed as the new chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
• He is a 1993-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre. He has replaced current chairperson of NPPA, Shubhra Singh.
• Amrit Lal Meena has been appointed as Additional Secretary (Logistics), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Sudhir Garg has been appointed as Additional Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority.
• Jayant Sinha has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Other appointments are given in the following table.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Government announced Prime Minister’s Shram Awards 2018.

• Prime Minister’s Shram Awards for the year 2018 are announced by the government.
• These awards will be awarded to 69 workers employed in the Departmental Undertakings & Public Sector Undertakings of the Central and State Governments and Private Sector Units employing 500 or more workers.
• The objective of the Prime Minister’s Shram Awards is to recognize the outstanding contributions made by workmen.  
• The awards will be given to recognize worker’s performance, innovative abilities, and outstanding contributions in the field of productivity.
• Out of the total awardees, 49 workers are from the public sector while 20 are from the private sector.
• Prime Minister’s Shram Awards are given in three categories:
  • Shram Bhushan Awards: It carries a cash prize of one lakh rupees.
  • Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana Awards: It carries a cash prize of 60 thousand rupees.
  • Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards: It carries a cash prize of 40 thousand each.

Topic: Ranking and Indices

6. Indira Gandhi International Airport has been ranked 45th in Skytrax World Airport Award ranking.

• Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has got a place in the top 50 airports of Skytrax World Airport Award ranking.
• Indira Gandhi International Airport has been ranked on 45^th position in the Skytrax 2021 world airport's awards ranking. It has improved its ranking in 2021 by five places.
• This is the third consecutive year in which Delhi IGI airport has been crowned the best airport in India.
• Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have found a place in the top 100 best airport ranking.
• According to the Skytrax World Airport Award ranking 2021, Doha Hamad International Airport, Tokyo Haneda airport, Changi airport Singapore, Seoul Incheon International Airport, and Tokyo Narita are the top five airports.
• World Airport Award was started in 1999. Skytrax World Airport Award ranking assesses customer service and facilities across over 500 airports.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Parliament passed General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.

• On 11^th August 2021, Parliament passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.
• It has made amendments to the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972.
• It allowed the privatization of state-run general insurance companies. It has removed the mandatory shareholding of 51 percent of government in General Insurance Corporation of India, National Insurance, New India Assurance, Oriental Insurance, and United India Insurance companies.
• It will encourage greater private sector participation in the public sector insurance companies.
• Earlier, Parliament had passed the Insurance Amendment Bill 2021 to increase the FDI limit in the insurance sector to 74% from 49%.

Topic: Miscellaneous

8. UP government renamed Kakori kand as Kakori train action.

• UP government has renamed Kakori kand to Kakori train action. As per the UP govt officials, the word ‘Kand’ denotes a sense of insult to this incident of India’s Independence struggle. 
• Recently, the UP government celebrated the anniversary of the ‘Kakori train action’ under the Chauri Chaura Mahotsav.

Topic: Sports

9. Durand Cup 2021 to be organized at Kolkata from 5 Sept to 3 Oct.

• The 130^th edition of the Durand Cup will be organized at Kolkata from 5 Sep to 3 Oct.
• Durand Cup’s first edition was held in 1888. It is named after Mortimer Durand, then Foreign Secretary in charge of India.
• The winning team receives three trophies: President's Cup, the Durand Cup, and the Shimla Trophy.
• The matches of the tournament will be played at different venues around Kolkata. Sixteen teams across the country will participate in this tournament.
• Durand Cup is the third oldest and Asia's oldest football tournament.
• Gokulam Kerala had won the 2019 Durand Cup by defeating Mohun Bagan 2–1.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

10. India achieves 100 GW renewable Energy Capacity.

• India achieves 100 GW total installed renewable energy capacity.
• In terms of total installed RE capacity, India stands at 4^th position in the world. India is on the  5^th position in Solar and 4^th position in wind energy.
• India has set a target to install 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
• India’s per capita emission is one-third of the world average.
• India’s total energy generation capacity today is about 380 gigawatts, out of which 100 gigawatts are from renewable energy.
• India has to produce at least 83 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources to achieve carbon net-zero by 2050.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

11. PM Modi addresses Investor Summit in Gujarat.

• On 13^th August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Investor Summit in Gujarat.
• The summit has been jointly organized by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the state government.
• It has been organized to attract investment opportunities for setting up vehicle scrapping infrastructure under the Vehicle Scrapping Policy.
• Investors, industry experts, and central and state government ministries participated in this Investor Summit.
• The government has launched a Vehicle Scrapping Policy to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles.

Topic:  Reports and Indices

12. Dr. Bibek Debroy released Quality of Life for Elderly Index.

• Quality of Life for Elderly Index has been released by Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
• The Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness. It throws light on the problems faced by the elderly in India.
• The Index is based on the four pillars: Financial Well-being, Social Well-being, Health System, and Income Security.
• It will provide information about the needs and opportunities of the elderly population in India.