Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 October 2023

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

1. Maharashtra government gave approval to establish the Independent Scheduled Tribes Commission.

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde approved a proposal to establish an Independent Scheduled Tribes Commission.
• It will be established for Maharashtra on the lines of the Central Government.
• This proposal has been approved in the 51st Maharashtra State Tribes Advisory Council meeting held in Mumbai.
• Various issues like the reorganization of scheduled areas of the state, provision of funds according to population, starting of the project office in talukas of tribal districts, etc. were discussed in the meeting.
• The Chief Minister also instructed to not divert the funds meant for the Scheduled Tribes department.
• Earlier, the Maharashtra government had appointed the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to submit a report on tribal status to Dhangars.
• TISS has submitted its report but the government has not made it public.

Topic: Indian Economy

2. Retail inflation (consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation) for September 2023 declined to 5%.

• Industrial growth based on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) increased to a 14-month high level of 10.3% in August 2023. It was 6% in July 2023.
• Industrial growth increased in August on account of strong manufacturing activity. Mining and Electricity showed double-digit growth.
• The fall in vegetable and oil prices was the key reason for the decline in retail inflation from 6.8% in August.
• The inflation rate was higher than the national average in Rajasthan and Telangana.
• Haryana, Karnataka and Odisha are other states where the inflation rate continues to be high.

Topic: Important Days

3. National Cinema Day 2023: 13 October

• National Cinema Day 2023 is being celebrated across India on October 13 this year.
• Last year, more than 6.5 million people went to the theatres on National Cinema Day.
• It was celebrated on September 23 to commemorate the successful reopening of movie halls.
• National Cinema Day was first observed by the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) in 2022.
• The ceremony was originally scheduled for September 16 but was later moved to September 23.

Topic: Books and Authors

4. Film director Vivek Agnihotri launched his book in Lucknow.

• The title of the book is “The Book of Life: My dance with Buddha for Success.”
• He directed The Kashmir Files. His newest film is ‘The Vaccine War’.
• Vivek Agnihotri was accompanied by Dr. Balram Bhargava.
• Dr. Balram Bhargava is the writer of the book on which the movie is based.
• His book is ‘Going Viral - Making of Covaxin: The Inside Story’.
• In the movie, his character is played by Nana Patekar.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

5. MDoNER “Data Analytics Dashboard” and “Poorvottar Sampark Setu” portal launched on 12 October.

• These were launched by the Minister of State, Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (MDoNER), Shri B.L. Verma in New Delhi.
• These tools will prove to be a game-changer in monitoring the developmental activities of Central Government Ministries/Departments in the North-Eastern Region of India.
• “MDONER Data Analytics Dashboard” contains data from 112 schemes of 55 departments and ministries.
• This will help in data-based decision-making, ease of operations, centralized monitoring, policy-level decision tools, and information integration.
• It will keep a close watch on NER aspirational districts, North-East border districts, and most backward districts of NER.
• Creating a benchmark for key performance indicators of schemes in NER, the dashboard will be equipped with the latest innovations in e-governance.
• It will display information from multiple departments and ministries on a single platform.
• The “Poorvottar Sampark Setu” portal is a powerful instrument designed to streamline and enhance the monitoring of fortnightly visits of Union Ministers to NER.
• The portal produces a curated list of ministers who can be nominated to visit NER in the upcoming months.
• After the visit, the Minister can submit his visit report online along with his recommendations.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

6. NTPC became the only Indian PSU to feature in Forbes' World's Best Employers 2023 list.

• On October 10, 2023, Forbes World's Best Employers List 2023 was released.
• In this, NTPC Limited, India's largest integrated energy conglomerate, has been recognized as one of the "World's Best Employers 2023".
• It is ranked 261st among the top 700 companies in the world ranking and is the only Indian public sector undertaking (PSU) to feature in the list.
• This is proof that the people's practices at NTPC are at par with the top companies in the world.
• Every year, Forbes publishes the World's Best Employers list through independent market research to identify the top 700 companies.
• It offers an exciting and positive working environment, training, and career advancement opportunities, employee benefits, employee centricity, and diversity in the workplace.
• In 2023, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to create the seventh annual list of the World's Best Employers.
• It recognized NTPC's progressive and “people before plant load factor (PLF)” approach, and excellence in the development and management of its human resources through continuous process improvement.
• Policies and interventions by progressive people have helped its workforce remain agile and future-ready.

Topic: National News

7. The 12th City Gas Distribution, CGD Bidding Round of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board was officially launched on 12 October 2023 in Delhi.

• It was launched by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri.
• With the exception of Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep, practically the entire nation would have access to CGD networks after this bidding round.
• The Minister stated that this round would cover the remaining 2% of India's population and the remaining 12% of its geographic region.
• The network spans 92 districts across five states and two union territories.
• To ensure complete coverage in the future, the ministry intends to bring the network to island regions.
• Mr Puri stated that the objective is to reach a 32 thousand kilometres long network from a pipeline network that is currently 23 thousand 500 kilometres long.
• According to Mr Puri, the nation wants to boost natural gas's portion of the energy basket to 15%.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. PM Modi will inaugurate the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai on 14 October 2023.

• The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, will also attend the session along with other members of the IOC.
• The International Olympic Committee members meet frequently at the IOC session.
• At the IOC Sessions, significant decisions are taken about the future of the Olympic Games.
• Almost 40 years have passed since the last time India hosted the IOC session.
• India is hosting the IOC session for the second time. The 86th session of the IOC was previously held in New Delhi in 1983.
• International Olympic Committee:
  • It is a non-governmental sports organization. It is the apex authority for organizing the Olympic Games.
  • It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded in 1894.

Topic:  Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2023.

• India slipped four spots in the Global Hunger Index 2023. India has been ranked at 111.
• In the 2022 ranking, India was in the 107th position out of 121 countries.
• ‘Concern Worldwide’ and ‘Welt Hungerhilfe’, two NGOs from Ireland and Germany, have released this report.
• India has a score of 28.7 in the latest ranking, which shows a serious level of hunger.
• As per the index, India also has the highest child-wasting rate in the world at 18.7 per cent.
• The rate of undernourishment in India stood at 16.6 per cent and under-five mortality is at 3.1 per cent.
• The prevalence of anaemia in women aged between 15 and 24 years stood at 58.1 per cent.
• South Asia and Africa are the world regions with the highest hunger levels.
• India’s neighbouring countries Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th) are ahead of India.
• As per the 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI), after many years of advancement up to 2015, the progress against hunger is stagnant.
• The 2023 GHI score for the world is 18.3. It is less than the world's 2015 GHI score of 19.1.
• Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, China, Hungary, Estonia, etc. are among the top 20 countries of this ranking.
• Central African Republic, Madagascar and Yemen are at the bottom of the ranking.
• Climate change, conflicts, economic shocks, the global pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine war have increased social and economic inequalities and slowed or reversed the progress against hunger.
• The Indian government has rejected the report of this year and termed the methodology of the report preparation faulty.

Topic: National Appointments

10. Pankaj Bohra assumed charge as national president of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC).

• Pankaj Bohra, a Chartered Accountant from Ahmedabad, became the first person from Gujarat to assume charge as the president of IACC.
• Bohra currently serving as the Senior Partner at Pankaj Bohra & Co., Chartered Accountants.
• He has also been on the boards of several companies advising senior management on business strategies, financial planning and corporate governance.
• Indo-American Chamber of Commerce is a 55-year-old chamber of commerce with 14 offices in India and 27 in the United States.
• The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce was established in 1968.
• IACC's main aim is to promote bilateral trade and investments between India and the USA.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

11. Gangetic Dolphin declared as the State Aquatic Animal by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

• CM Yogi said that there is a need to maintain the purity of ponds and rivers.
• These dolphins are found in rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Ghaghra, Rapti and Gerua.
• The estimated population of Ganga dolphin in Uttar Pradesh is estimated at around 2000.
• CM Yogi also said that it is important for both tourists and local residents to avoid using plastic, as it harms our water and nature.
• He also proposed to train individuals from villages associated with the tiger reserve as guides with the aim of creating employment opportunities and increasing awareness within the community.
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and forest department teams are counting dolphins with the help of GPS in Garh Ganga in the Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh.
• In the old data, 22 dolphins were counted in 2015, 30 dolphins in 2016, 32 dolphins in 2017, 33 dolphins in 2018, 35 dolphins in 2019, and 41 dolphins in 2020.

Topic: Important Days

12. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2023: 13 October

• Every year on 13 October, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2023 is celebrated.
• The day is celebrated for raising awareness about how people around the world can reduce their exposure to disasters.
• This year, the theme of the Day is "Fighting inequality for a resilient future".
• The theme of the day is in line with the Sendai Framework, an international agreement to prevent and reduce loss of life, livelihoods, economy, and infrastructure.
• It was started in 1989 by the United Nations General Assembly to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.
• Poverty, inequality, and discrimination are causes and consequences of increased disaster risk.
• According to current climate projections, the world will face approximately 560 disasters per year by 2030.
• An additional estimated 37.6 million people will live in extreme poverty by 2030 due to the impacts of climate change and disasters.
• A “worst-case” scenario of climate change and disasters would push an additional 100.7 million people into poverty by 2030.

Topic: Space and IT

13. Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe becomes the fastest man-made object.

• Parker Solar Probe of NASA attained a speed of 635,266 kilometres per hour during a recent solar flyby.
• It broke its 2021 record of 586,000 kilometres (364,621 miles) per hour during its 10th lap to the sun.
• It also achieved record proximity to the Sun of 7.26 million kilometres above the radiant ocean of plasma.
• The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to collect information about the outer corona of the Sun. The corona is hotter than the layer immediately below it.
• The observation of the Parker Solar Probe about the corona will help scientists to understand the Sun’s atmosphere.
• It will provide crucial information about the solar winds.
• It also collects data on how solar eruptions boost particles into energies that can be dangerous for astronauts and technology in space.
• The Parker Solar Probe will complete 24 loops around the sun. It will reach about 3.8 million miles near to Sun.
• The probe is equipped with a 4.5-inch-thick (11.43 centimetres) carbon-composite shield to withstand extreme conditions.

Topic: National Appointments

14. Shiv Bajrang Singh became the new Executive Director of the Indian Bank.

• He has assumed charge as Executive Director, effective from October 9.
• He was previously chief general manager at the Bank of India.
• Canara Bank has appointed Bhavendra Kumar as Executive Director.
• During his banking career, he has worked in different capacities in different states.
• Indian Bank was founded in 1907. Its headquarters are in Chennai. Shanti Lal Jain is its MD & CEO.
• From 1 April 2020, Allahabad Bank has been merged with Indian Bank.
• Canara Bank was founded in 1906. It is headquartered in Bengaluru. K Satyanarayana Raju is its MD and CEO.
• Recently, the government merged Syndicate bank with Canara Bank.