Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 August 2022

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Anurag Thakur addressed Yuva Samvad “India@2047” in New Delhi.

• The government will organize 750 Yuva Samvad programmes across the country to provide a platform at the grassroots level for youth to express their views on national and international issues.
• The Yuva Samvad programmes will give an opportunity for youths to share their thoughts with each other.
• Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the four Es, i.e, Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment are the main pillars for the growth and development of the youth.
• Around 400 youths including National Youth Awardees and Youth delegate, participated in the event.
• The National Youth Policy of the Government of India was launched in 2003. It stresses an all-around improvement of youth and adolescents.
• Scheme/ Programme related to youths are as follows:
  • Prime Minister’s Youth Career Development Scheme (PMKVY)
  • Minority Youth Empowerment (Nai Manzil)
  • National Young Leaders Programme
  • National Service Scheme

Topic: Miscellaneous

2. Rishabh Pant has been made the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand.

• Rishabh Pant as the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand will inspire youths in the field of sports in the state.
• Rishabh Pant is an Indian cricketer. He has played 27 ODIs, 31 Tests and 54 T20I matches.
• Other Brand ambassadors in news:
  • Rashmika Mandanna became the brand ambassador of Fantasy sports.
  • Emami Agrotech roped in Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador for its spice range.
  • Prateek Gandhi became the brand ambassador of the smart gadget brand 5Elements.

Topic: Important Days

3. World Sanskrit Day 2022: 12 August

• World Sanskrit Day is celebrated every year on Sawan Purnima, according to the Hindu calendar.
• In the year 2022, the day was celebrated on 12 August.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness and revive the ancient Sanskrit language.
• It was first celebrated in the year 1969.
• Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language and belongs to the group of Indo-European languages. It is also called Dev Vani, i.e. the language of God.
• Sanskrit is the mother of all Indian languages and it is one of the first languages spoken in India.
• 'Sudharma' is the only Sanskrit newspaper in the world.

Topic: National News

4. Model rules will be introduced by governments to govern all PACS.

• Amit Shah stated that Sick and inactive Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) should be revived or taken up for liquidation.
• He addressed a national conference on rural cooperative banks hosted by the Ministry of Cooperation and the National Federation of State Cooperative Banks (NAFSCOB).
• Mr. Shah described the PACS as pillars of the cooperative movement and called for the PACS to be strengthened by diversifying their activities.
• There is a need to formulate a five-year strategy for Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in each Panchayat.
• Computerization of PACS has been approved to increase efficiency, transparency and accountability.
• Mr. Shah emphasized on the importance of establishing over 2 lakhs new PACS across the nation in order to reach the goal of delivering agri-finance worth 10 lakhs rupees through cooperatives.

Topic: Defence

5. First bilateral Air Force exercise is being conducted between India and Malaysia.

• An Indian Air Force contingent is participating in a bilateral exercise called Udarshakti in Malaysia.
• The Indian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) are conducting their first-ever bilateral exercise.
• The Indian Air Force is taking part in the air exercise with Su-30 MKI and C-17 aircraft, while the Royal Malaysian Air Force will fly with Su-30 MKM aircraft.
• Members of the IAF contingent will have the opportunity to share and learn best practices from some of the best professionals from the RMAF, while also discussing mutual combat capabilities.
• Various aerial combat exercises will be conducted between the two air forces in the four-day exercise.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

6. Tamara Walcott broke the Guinness Powerlifting World Record by lifting 737.5 kg.

• Tamara Walcott, a female powerlifter from Maryland, lifted a total of 737.5 kg combining the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift.
• In July 2022, she was honoured at the World Raw Powerlifting Federation American Pro in Manassas, Virginia.
• Then this athlete had lifted 680 kg, but after a month Tamara gave a record-breaking performance.
• Guinness Book of World Records:
  • It is published annually since 1955.
  • It is a compilation of world records of human achievements.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. Marina Tabassum became the first South Asian to win Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Lifetime Achievement Award.

• The jury praised her for presenting an inspiring example of work with local communities that can have a positive impact across the globe.
• Her works address urgent contemporary issues. Her work shows how architects can challenge the climate crisis.
• Her work also shows how architects can bring about social change in an experimental, respectful and inspiring manner.
• She is a renowned Bangladeshi architect. She is known for architectural designs that deeply embed environmental concerns.
• One of her many celebrated works is the Bait Ur Rouf mosque in Dhaka.

• She has also designed bamboo houses at the Rohingya refugee camps, at Ukhiya near Cox’s Bazar. They are low impact, mobile houses which can be delivered at the lowest cost possible.
• She will get original artwork by the Portuguese artist and sculptor Carlos Nogueira as an award during the Lisbon Triennale, which starts on 29 September in Lisbon, Portugal.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Shashi Tharoor will receive highest civilian award of France.

• He will receive France's highest civilian award Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.
• He is a senior Congress leader. He is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• The French government is honouring him for his writings and speeches.
• In 2010, Tharoor got a similar honour from the Spanish government.
• The King of Spain had honoured him with the Encomienda de la Real Order Espanola de Carlos III. 

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Government changed the rules of the Atal Pension Yojana.

• The government has notified changes in the eligibility for the Atal Pension Yojana. The new rules will come into effect on 1 October 2022.
• According to new rules, an income taxpayer will not be eligible to join the Atal Pension Yojana from 1st October 2022.
• Till 4 June, around 5.33 crores have subscribed to the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

• Atal Pension Yojana (APY):
  • It was launched in 2015.
  • It was launched to provide financial support post-retirement to the people working in the unorganised sector.
  • APY subscribers would receive a minimum guaranteed pension of ₹1000 to ₹5000 per month after the age of 60 years.
  • APY is open to all bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 40 years.
  • The pension would be paid to the spouse of the subscriber after the death of the subscriber.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed an MoU for the digitalisation of the Ayush Sector.

• The MoU has been signed to provide technical support to the Ministry of Ayush for the digitalisation of the Ayush Sector under the Ayush Grid project for a period of 3 years.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will provide all technical support for the adoption of emerging technologies.
• ‘Ayush Grid’ Project’ has been conceptualized as part of the Digital India Program. It has been launched to transform operational efficiency, improve service delivery and enhance the quality of services.
• It will also allow the integration of all stakeholders and functions/ services related to Ayush systems of health care.
• Ayush Grid is a proposed central IT platform for providing multiple IT services for all systems of medicine under Ayush.
• A high-level advisory committee has been also constituted to provide advisory inputs on the Ayush Grid project.
• A working group has been also formed to give expert input on the right architecture and identifying core building blocks.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Government launched the “SMILE-75 Initiative” on 12 August 2022.

• Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE)-75 has been launched by Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar.
• Under the Smile-75 initiative, seventy-five (75) municipal corporations in collaboration with NGOs and other stakeholders will implement a number of comprehensive welfare measures for the people engaged in begging.
• A total budget of Rs.100 crore has been allocated for the SMILE project till 2025-26.
• The main objective of the Smile-75 initiative is to make cities/towns and municipal areas free from beggars. It will also make a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for beggars.
• The Smile-75 initiative will focus extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, awareness, education, skill development, etc.
• SMILE is a central sector scheme for the welfare of the transgender community and the beggars.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

12. ‘Agnostic web3.0’ conference will be organized in Goa from 12-14 August.

• ‘Agnostic web3.0’ conference will be organized by the Atal Incubation Centre at Goa Institute of Management and GirlScript.
• 100-plus hackathon teams, 70-plus speakers, and 600-plus attendees will take part in this ‘Agnostic web3.0’ conference.
• Blockchain, global policies on NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and cryptocurrency, metaverse, growth-hacking, etc. will be discussed during the three-day conference.
• Tech enthusiasts, founders, and innovators from all over the world will participate in this conference.
• Global innovators like US-based Vitto Rivabella, Teguh K Harmanda from Indonesia, and Italy-based Francesco Ciulla will participate in the conference.

Topic: State News/ Chhattisgarh

13. Chhattisgarh government implemented the extension of panchayat rights in scheduled areas.

• Chhattisgarh government announced to implement PESA Rule-2022 in the scheduled areas.
• With the implementation of the PESA Act, the power of Gram Sabha will increase.
• Gram Sabha will consist of 50% of the members from the tribal community. Out of the 50 percent, 25 percent will be women members.
• Chattisgarh government has enacted rules under the central Act to protect the interest of tribals and to enhance the power of gram sabhas.
• The state government will also launch an awareness campaign from 15 August to 26 January through gram sabhas.
• Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Telangana has also framed State specific PESA Rules.
• Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act or PESA Act:
  • PESA Act was enacted in 1996 for the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution related to Panchayats to the Scheduled areas.
  • It was enacted for self-governance through Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas.
  • It recognizes the right of tribal communities to govern themselves through their own systems of self-government.

Topic: Indian Polity

14. A parliamentary panel made recommendations on guardianship and child custody.

• A Parliamentary Standing Committee has submitted its report on ‘Review of Guardianship and Adoption Laws’.
• The committee has recommended amending the HMGA (Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956) urgently.
• The committee also suggested to give equal treatment to both mother and father as natural guardians.
• The panel states that in case of marital dispute courts should be empowered to grant joint custody of children to both parents or to give sole custody to one parent with visitation rights to the other.
• The panel has also given recommendations on adoption.
• The committee states that there is a need for new legislation for synergy between the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (HAMA), 1956.
• The new legislation should also cover the LGBT community.
• According to Indian law, the natural guardian of a Hindu minor is the father and after him, the mother.
• As per the Shariat or the religious law, the father is the natural guardian but custody vests with the mother until the son reaches the age of seven and the daughter reaches puberty.
• The Adoption Regulations, 2017 are silent on LGBTQI adoption and neither prohibit nor allow them to adopt a child.