Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 October 2020

1. World Arthritis Day: 12 October.

• World Arthritis Day is celebrated every year on 12 October to raise awareness about Arthritis.
• Time2Work is the theme for World Arthritis Day 2020.
• Arthritis refers to any disorder affecting joints. It is the inflammation (swelling) of joints.
• Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are common forms of arthritis.
• Common symptoms of Arthritis are pain in joints, stiffness and swelling.
• Arthritis can be managed through medications and lifestyle changes. 

2. Nationwide campaign to celebrate “Kamdhenu Deepawali Abhiyan” started.

• A nationwide campaign to celebrate “Kamdhenu Deepawali Abhiyan” has been started by Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA).
• The campaign is being celebrated to promote the use of cow-dung/ Panchgavya products during this Diwali.
• The aim of RKA is to reach 11 crore families to ignite 33 crore Diyas made up of cow-dung.  
• RKA is facilitating the production of Kamdhenu Deepawali-related items in Gaushalas all over India.
• Earlier, Gaumaya Ganesha Campaign has been launched by RKA to promote the use of eco-friendly material in the making of idols of Lord Ganesha for Ganesha Festival in 2020.
• Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA):
  • It was formed by the government in February 2019.
  • It works as a part of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
  • It comes under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
  • RKA has been launched for cow and their progeny and for cattle development plans.
  • It is a high powered permanent body. It provides direction to the implementation of cattle-related schemes.
• Despite its being the largest producer of milk, India has only 50% average milk in the world due to the low productivity of cows.

(Source: PIB)

3. Defence Minister lays foundation stone of the Nechiphu Tunnel.

• Defence Minister has laid the foundation stone of the Nechiphu Tunnel in West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The tunnel is located on Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road. It is 450 m long and D-shaped.
• Defence Minister has also inaugurated eight bridges in Arunachal Pradesh and 36 bridges in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir.
• The bridges were constructed by Border Roads Organisation. 
• Border Roads Organisation (BRO):
  • It develops and maintains a road network in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • It was founded in May 1960 by Jawaharlal Nehru.

4. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission collaborates with CGI India.

• NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission has collaborated with global IT consulting company, CGI India, by signing a Statement of Intent to promote innovation across the schools.
• The collaboration between Atal Innovation Mission and CGI India is also for creating successful and innovative workforce from the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) schools.
• CGI will adopt 100 schools with ATLs to promote and train students and CGI volunteers will coach and mentor students at ATLs.
• The coaching of students at ATLs will be to improve technical literacy and provide a learning experience to students through Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) tools.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
  • It was approved on 24 February 2016.
  • It is a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog set up to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • Atal Tinkering Labs is a major initiative under Atal Innovation Mission to promote creative, innovative mindset in schools
  • Other initiatives under AIM are Atal Incubation Centres, Atal New India Challenges and Atal Grand Challenges, Mentors of Change and Atal Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises (ARISE).

5. Sixth session of India-Norway Joint Commission held virtually.

• Sixth session of the India-Norway Joint Commission was held virtually and attended by External Affairs Minister of India and his Norwegian counterpart.
• External Affairs Minister of India and his Norwegian counterpart said that they are committed for cooperation in combating COVID-19 pandemic.
• They praised the establishment of global facility COVAX. India and Norway agreed for regular consultations on Security Council issues during their UN membership period 2021-22.
• In June 2020, India was elected to the non-permanent seat of UN Security Council for 2021-22.
• COVAX initiative aims to create a 15 billion US dollar corpus fund for supplying at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by 2021.
• Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO are jointly leading COVAX initiative.
• Norway is located in Northern Europe. Oslo is its capital and largest city. Erna Solberg (nicknamed as Iron Erna) is its Prime Minister. Norwegian krone is its currency.

6. Bangladesh cabinet approves draft law to make death penalty highest punishment for rape.

• Bangladesh cabinet has approved a draft law to make the death penalty (capital punishment) the highest punishment for rape.
• The decision to amend the Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act-2000 has been announced.
• Ordinance for this purpose will be issued after getting the approval of the President as Parliament is not in session. Currently, life imprisonment is the highest punishment for rape in Bangladesh.
• People are protesting in Bangladesh over rape of a woman in Noakhali.
• Bangladesh:
  • It is located in the east of India on the Bay of Bengal.
  • Its capital is Dhaka, and the currency is Bangladeshi Taka. 
  • Prime Minister: Shiekh Hasina

Question asked in UPPCS (Prelims) 2020 (Set C) based on similar news

7. AYUSH ministry launched Regional Raw Drug Repository at Chennai.

• Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister for AYUSH, had inaugurated the Regional Raw Drug Repository (RRDR) for ASU&H Medicine at the National Institute of Siddha in Chennai.
• RRDRs play a vital role in medicinal plant cultivation under the National AYUSH Mission.
• The Ministry of AYUSH has established the National Raw Drug Repository and Regional Raw Drug Repositories for the promotion of medicinal plant cultivation through the National Medicinal Plants Board.
• RRDR would play a leading role in the collection, documentation, and authentication of raw drugs collected from the agro-climatic region of the Southern Plateau Region.
• RRDRs will be used as an accredited reference library for the authentication of raw drugs, the establishment of standard protocols and the authentication of raw drugs used in the herbal industries.
• Easy availability of authentic scientific data of the raw drugs will promote the research on the medicines belonging to the AYUSH system.
• In the current COVID -19, pandemic situation medicinal Plants form the major resource base of our indigenous health care traditions.
• Ministry of AYUSH:
  • It was established in 2014.
  • It is responsible for education, research and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India.
  • It is currently headed by Shripad Yesso Naik.

8. India – Mexico 5^th Bilateral High-Level Group meeting held through video conference.

• The fifth meeting of the India-Mexico Bilateral High-Level Group on Trade, Investment and Cooperation (BHLG) was held on 9 October 2020.
• Both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, healthcare, agro-products, fisheries, food processing and aerospace industry, etc.
• Bilateral Issues discussed in the meeting were:
  • Audio-visual Co-production
  • Bilateral Investment Treaty
  • Market access for agricultural products
  • A cooperation framework on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) & Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Ways to promote tourism
  • People-to-People contact between India and Mexico

• Two business to business MoUs have been signed, which are as follows:
  • MoU between the Electronics & Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) of India and the Mexican Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CANIETI).
  • MoU between FICCI and the Mexican Business Council of Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE) for promoting the development of business relations.
• Mexico:
  • It is located in the southern portion of North America.
  • It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico.
  • The National Language of Mexico is Spanish.
  • Its capital is Mexico City.
  • The current president of Mexico is Andrés Manuel López Obrado.
  • The Mexican Peso is the currency of Mexico.

9. Vivekananda Lecture Theatre Complex has been inaugurated at Jaipur.

• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank virtually inaugurated the Vivekananda Lecture Theatre Complex at Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur.
• It is one of the largest lecture theatre complexes in Asia with a capacity to teach 6792 students at a time through its 48 classrooms.
• The design of this building has a blend of the traditional architecture of Jaipur, the use of sandstone, Jaali, inward opening corridors, thermal mass, and natural land contours.
• The traditional style of building has been mixed with modern material and practices.
• All classrooms in this theatre complex are equipped with e-learning facilities.
• Ministry of Education:
  • It was formerly known as the Ministry of Human Resources Development.
  • It is responsible for the planning, access to education and improving the quality of the educational institutions throughout the country.
  • It has two departments:
    • Department of School Education and Literacy
    • Department of Higher Education

10. Election to fill 15 vacancies in UN Human Rights Council held.

• Election to fill 15 vacancies in UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was held during 75^th UN General Assembly on 13 October.
• China, Russia, Pakistan, Nepal, and Cuba won the election but Saudi Arabia lost it.
• France and UK has won elections unopposed to fill two seats in Western European and other States group of UNHRC.
• China, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan were candidates to fill four vacant seats in Asia Pacific States group of UNHRC members. Saudi Arabia lost election and all others won. China received lowest votes.
• Members of UNHRC are elected for three years. So, winning states will remain UNHRC members for three years. Their membership will start from January 2021.
• Other winners of election are Bolivia, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Malawi, Mexico, Senegal and Ukraine.
• Geneva-based UN Watch, Human Rights Foundation and Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights have published report that evaluates candidates contesting elections for UNHRC seats.
• United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC):
  • It is a body of the United Nations.
  • It aims to promote and protect human rights worldwide.
  • It has 47 members elected for a three-year term.
  • It was founded on 15 March 2006.
  • It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

(Source: The Hindu)

11. Nightingale of Gujarat, Kaumudi Munshi passes away.

• Kaumudi Munshi, famous as Nightingale of Gujarat, passed away at the age of 93 due to COVID 19.
• She was born in Varanasi and was a leading singer of Gujarati Sugam Sangeet.
• She was born in Varanasi. Her uncle, Ramanlal Vasantlal Desai, was a famous Gujarati novelist in pre-Independent India.
• She came to Mumbai and joined chorus of Ninu Mazumdar, a composer and lyricist. Later, she started singing solo.
• She was trained under Siddheshwari Devi, a legendary thumri exponent and also trained under Taj Ahmed Khan.
• She also took interest in Bhojpuri folk songs, dadra and chaiti. Grammy nominated singer and songwriter, Falu was her student.

(Source: Indian Express)

12. International E-waste day: 14 October.

• On 14 October, International E-waste Day (IEWD) is being celebrated every year since its start by Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment (WEEE) forum in 2018.
• It is celebrated to increase public awareness about e-waste recycling and encourage consumers to recycle e-waste.
• UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and WEEE forum partnered for International E-waste day 2019.
• ITU and WEEE forum will also partner for preparing a report to be issued at International E-waste day 2020.
• Celebrations of IEWD 2020 will be focused on theme of education.
• As per UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020, 53.6 million metric tonnes electronic waste was produced all over the world in 2019.
• Indian, US and China together contribute 38% to volume of E-waste generated worldwide. In 3 years, India’s E-waste generation increased by 43%. 
• WEEE Forum is a not for profit association. It consists of 40 WEEE producer responsibility organisations.

(Source: Down to Earth)

13. UNDRR publishes report on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

• UNDRR has published human cost of disasters: an overview of the last 20 years (2000-2019) report on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (13 October).
• The report shows that 70% of global rainfed agriculture is facing risk due to changes in rainfall patterns and precipitation.
• As per the report, 0.51 million people were killed and 3.9 billion people were affected due to climate-related disasters between 2000 and 2019.  
• The report has estimate doubling of climate-relate disasters in last two decades.
• During 2009-2019, drought affected 1.4 billion people and Africa accounted for 40% of total droughts.  
• International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is celebrated on 13 October.
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR):
  • It was created in December 1999.
  • It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • It helps in implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030).  

(Source: Down to Earth)