Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 September 2022

Topic: Indian Economy

1. India's retail inflation rises from 6.71% in July to 7% in August 2022.

• India's retail inflation has increased mainly due to higher food prices.
• For the eighth month in a row, the consumer price index-based inflation is more than 6%.
• The inflation in the food basket has increased from 6.69% in July to 7.62% in August.
• Food inflation has increased due to an increase in the prices of essential crops like wheat, rice and pulses.
• According to the official data, India’s industrial production increased to 2.4% in July. The manufacturing sector's output grew by 3.2% in July 2022.
• The consumer durables segment has increased by 2.4%.
• Inflation is the gradual rise in the price of goods and services. It is calculated by taking into account increases in the price of food, fuel, and other goods.

Topic: Sports

2. Max Verstappen won the Formula One Italian Grand Prix on 11 September 2022.

• Max Verstappen beat Charles Leclerc, who finished in second place.
• Max Verstappen is 116 points ahead of Leclerc in the drivers' standings.
• He won his fifth GP in a row. George Russell of Mercedes finished at third position.
• Leclerc's teammate, Carlos Sainz, moved from position 18 to 4 on the starting grid.
• Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished fifth in the race.
• Daniel Ricciardo, the winner of the race in 2021, had retired in the 47th lap.
• Italian Grand Prix is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix. The 2022 Italian Grand Prix was the 92^nd edition. It was held on 11 September 2022 at the Monza Circuit in Monza, Italy.

Topic: Economy/Banking/Finance

3. The government’s health spending declined from 1.35 percent of GDP in 2017-18 to 1.28 percent in 2018-19.

• Findings of the National Health Accounts (NHA) Estimates for India for 2018-19 have been released.
• NHA estimates for 2018-19 show that the share of government health expenditure in the total GDP of the country has increased from 1.15% in 2013-14 to 1.28% in 2018-19.
• The centre’s share of the overall government health expenditure declined from 40.8% in 2017-18 to 34.3% in 2018-19.
• The state’s share increased from 59.2% to 65.7% during the same period.
• Out-of-pocket spending as a percentage of total health spending declined from 48.8 to 48.2 during the same period.
• When compared to 2013-14 figures, out-of-pocket health spending declined by 16 percentage points from 64.2 percent.
• Total health expenditure declined to 3.2% of GDP in 2018-19 from 3.3% in 2017-18 and 4% in 2013-14.
• Total health expenditure per person at current prices increased to Rs 4,470 in 2018-19 from Rs 4,297 in 2017-18 and Rs 3,638 in 2013-14.
• The Social Security Expenditure on health as a percent of Total Health Expenditure has grown from 6% in 2013-14 to 9.6% in 2018-2019.
• The National Health Account (NHA) estimates for India 2018-19 is the sixth consecutive NHA estimates report prepared by NHSRC.
• National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) was designated as National Health Accounts Technical Secretariat (NHATS) in 2014 by the Union Health Ministry.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

4. Second India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue concluded on September 8, 2022 in Tokyo.

• India’s Defence Minister and External Affairs Minister along with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Minister of Defense of Japan held the second India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo on 8 September 2022.
• During the meeting, participating ministers noted the progress made in the bilateral security and defence cooperation since the last meeting in November 2019.
• They welcomed deepened cooperation discussed through the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Dialogue of February 2021, the Maritime Affairs Dialogue of September 2021, the Space Dialogue of November 2021, and the Cyber Dialogue of June 2022, respectively.
• The Ministers reiterated their strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality.
• They reiterated their full support for the "ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)”.
• The Ministers decided to hold the next 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in India.
• The Ministers expressed their commitment to continuing bilateral and multilateral exercises including 'Dharma Guardian', JIMEX and Malabar.
• The Ministers welcomed the participation of Japan for the first time in the multilateral exercise MILAN.

Topic: National Appointments

5. Justice M N Bhandari appointed as chairman of the PMLA Appellate Tribunal.

• The Centre appointed Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari as the Chairman of the Appellate Tribunal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
• Justice Bhandari retired as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court on September 12.
• The President of India appointed Mr. Bhandari as Chairman of the Appellate Tribunal under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act (SAFEMA).
• He is appointed at a salary of Rs. 2,50,000/-(Fixed) p.m. for four years, or until he reaches the age of seventy. 
• The Department of Revenue issued the order under the Ministry of Finance.
• Through the Finance Act of 2016, SAFEMA and the PMLA Appellate Tribunal were merged.
• The position of Tribunal Chairman was vacant since September 2019.

Topic: State News/ Nagaland

6. First ever Naga Mircha Festival organized at Seihama in Nagaland.

• The Naga Mircha (Naga King Chilli) Festival 2022 was organized on 10 September in Seiyhama Village in the Kohima district. It is the first of its kind in Nagaland.
• The Department of Horticulture sponsored the festival. The special guest at the festival was NDPP Chairman V Cates.
• Chilli Festival has been organized to promote its production and sale.
• Naga Mircha:
  • It is popularly known as ‘Raja Mircha’, 'King Chili’, ‘Bhoot Jolokia’, and Ghost Pepper.
  • Naga Mircha is one of the world’s hottest chillies based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs).
  • The Naga Mircha was given the Geographical Indications (GI) tag in 2008.
  • It is mainly grown in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

7. Congress launched ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ on 7 September from Kanyakumari.

• It will pass through 12 States covering a total of 3,570 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
• The 119 Bharat Yatris will complete the Yatra in 150 days. The average age of the participants in this walkathon is 38.
• It will pass through 20 cities in the country including Mysuru, Kota, Indore, Delhi, Jammu, Alwar, Bulandshahr, and others.
• The oldest participant is 58-year-old Vijendra Singh Mahlawat of Rajasthan and the youngest are 25-year-old duo Ajam Jombla and Bem Bai from Arunachal Pradesh.
• Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi is leading the yatra. The yatra will cover around 22-23 km per day.
• As per the Congress, the main objective behind the march is to “unite and strengthen the nation.”
• The tagline or slogan for the nationwide foot march is “mile kadam, jude vatan” (walk together, unite the country).

Topic: Personality in News

8. Likith YP got the bronze medal in the Skill of Prototype Modelling at the WorldSkills Competition (WSC) 2022.

• Likith YP has also won India’s National Skill Competition “IndiaSkills 2021” in Prototype Modelling Skill.
• He has been trained by Toyota India Expert Mr. Bhaskar Singh.
• WorldSkills Competition was earlier scheduled to take place in Shanghai.
• However, due to Covid outbreak, it got shifted to 15 countries to be conducted over the span of 2 months.
• Competition of Prototype Modelling Skill was the starting of WSC2022 in phase 1.
• Phase 1 of WSC 2022 was held in Bern, Switzerland from 7-10 September 2022.
• WorldSkills Competition:
  • It is an international competition of skilled youth among member countries of WorldSkills International.
  • WorldSkills Competition is organised every two years. It is known as the ‘Olympics of Skills’.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

9. MeitY Startup Hub will launch a program to support Extended Reality (XR) technology startups across India.

• MeitY Startup Hub will launch the program in collaboration with Meta (formerly named Facebook).
• The collaboration comes under the Government’s efforts for skilling in emerging and future technologies.
• The MeitY Startup Hub is a national platform focused on promoting technology innovation and start-ups.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• Extended reality is a term that includes augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

10. NCERT issued guidelines on early identification of mental health problems in students.

• After a mental health survey, NCERT has released guidelines for "Early identification and intervention for mental health problems in school-going children and adolescents".
• As per the new guideline, every school or group of schools should establish a mental health advisory panel.
• It will be chaired by the principal and teachers, parents, students and alumni should be its member.
• The panel will spread awareness about mental health and enforce an age and gender-appropriate annual school mental health programme.
• NCERT has recommended that teachers should be trained in identifying early signs of mental health issues.
• As per the survey, exams, results and peer pressure are the major factors of stress and anxiety among school students.
• Most mental health issues emerge between the ages of 14-25 years.
• Separation anxiety, school refusal, communication issues, anxiety patterns, depressive states, conduct-related issues, intellectual disability, etc. are some common signs of mental health problems in students.

Topic: Defence

11. Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande reviewed ‘Parvat Prahar’ exercise in Ladakh.

• Indian Army conducted the ‘Parvat Prahaar’ exercise on the Ladakh plateau at an altitude of 14,000 feet.
• Indian Army conducted the exercise to validate new equipment that has been inducted in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• Gen Manoj Pande interacted with the officers and troops and reviewed the preparedness of the exercise.
• ‘Parvat Prahaar’ means the attack on the mountain.
• The exercise was conducted after the announcement of the disengagement of India and the Chinese army from Patrolling Point-15 in eastern Ladakh.

Topic: International News

12. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit.

• During his visit, he held a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf.
• Both leaders signed an MoU on the mechanism of consultations between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
• It is S. Jaishankar’s first visit as the External Affairs Minister to Saudi Arabia.
• He also discussed ways to further strengthen relations between India and Saudi Arabia.
• Bilateral Trade between India and GCC increased from US$ 87.35 billion in FY 2020-21 to US$ 154.66 billion in FY 2021-22.
• India's economic ties with the GCC have grown steadily primarily due to increased oil imports.
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC):
  • It is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union.
  • It was established on 25 May 1981.
  • Its headquarters is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Its members are- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

13. CII launched the ‘Coimbatore NXT’ initiative on 12 September.

• Coimbatore NXT initiative aims to make the city one of the most vibrant economic destinations.
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has created a plan to make Coimbatore more visible, vibrant, and attractive to skilled human resources.
• The Tamil Nadu government is planning to make the State a $ 1 trillion economy by 2030.
• ‘Coimbatore NXT’ initiative will focus on the growth of Industries, and create visibility for the region.
• 30 companies have joined hands with CII to achieve the vision of their respective organizations.
• Confederation of Indian Industry:
  • It was founded in 1895.
  • It is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization.
  • It works to create an environment conducive to the growth of industries in India.
  • Sanjiv Bajaj is the current President of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

14. 4^th Cybercrime Investigation and Intelligence Summit 2022 began in Bhopal.

• The main aim of the summit is the effective prevention of cybercrimes.
• It is being organized by Madhya Pradesh Police through State Cyber Police and Parimal Labs in partnership with other stakeholders.
• The Summit will be organized from 12-22 September in Bhopal. International and national speakers, subject experts, and officials from police, judicial, and prosecution will take part in the summit.
• It is being organized in hybrid mode. The offline summit will be held on September 12, 13 and 14, 2022 at RSVP Noronha Academy of Administration, Bhopal.
• During the summit, training will be provided on various topics by subject experts and speakers from different countries.

Topic: Indian Economy

15. Overall revenue of Indian Railways increased by 38% till August 2022 as compared to the previous year.

• The overall revenue of Indian Railways revenue has reached Rs 95,486.58 crore with an increase of Rs 26271.29 crore (38%) as compared to the previous year.
• The Passenger traffic revenue has reached to Rs. 25,276.54 crore with an increase of 116% (Rs 13,574.44 crore).
• Passenger traffic also increased in both segments (reserved and Unreserved).
• The revenue from Long-distance reserved Mail express trains is growing faster than passenger and suburban trains.
• Goods revenue has increased by Rs 10,780.03 crore (20%) as compared to the previous year.
• The sundry revenue touched the mark of Rs 2267.60 crore with an increase of 1105 crore (95%) as compared to the previous year.
• The other coaching revenue reached Rs. 2437.42 crore with an increase of Rs.811.82 crore (50%) in comparison to the last year.