Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 October 2023

Topic: State News/ Tamil Nadu

1. Tamil Nadu government launched ‘Project Nilgiri Tahr’.

• Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched ‘Project Nilgiri Tahr’ on 12 October 2023.
• He also distributed books to school students to create awareness about the Nilgiri Tahr.
• The project has been launched with an outlay of ₹25 crore for a better understanding of Nilgiri Tahr population, distribution and ecology and re-introduction of Nilgiri Tahr to their historic habitats.
• It will also help in increasing awareness about the Nilgiri Tahr species and developing eco-tourism activities at selected sites.
• Forest Department has set up a project office in Coimbatore.
• A full-time Project Director and four Senior Research Fellows have also been appointed for this project.
• Nilgiri Tahr:
  • It is found throughout the entire stretch of the Western Ghats but in small fragmented areas.
  • The existing populations of Nilgiri Thar are under severe stress due to habitat loss and hunting.
  • It is listed as an endangered species and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.
  • According to a report released by WWF India in 2015, its population in the wild is estimated at 3,122.
  • It is also the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

Topic: Miscellaneous

2. Neeraj Chopra has been appointed as Laureus Ambassador.

• World Champion in men’s javelin, Neeraj Chopra, named Laureus Ambassador.
• In 2022, he was shortlisted for the Breakthrough of the Year award at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
• Neeraj interest in Laureus comes after learning more about the athlete-led organisation that honours sport’s transformative power.
• He pledged his support to Laureus Sport for Good.
• Laureus support more than 300 programmes, which aim to eradicate inequality and discrimination against young people around the world.
• Neeraj joins a unique team of elite athletes from across the generations as a Laureus Ambassador.

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

3. Pusa Krishi, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Start-up Incubation & Innovation Centre (SIIC), IIT Kanpur signed MoU.

• On 13 October, the MoU was signed virtually by Dr. Viswanathan Chinnusamy, Joint Director (Research), IARI, and Professor Ankush Sharma, Department of Electrical Engineering, SIIC IIT Kanpur.
• Through this MoU, both parties will provide critical support to incubators and start-ups, thereby promoting their growth and success.
• These joint efforts will provide a conducive environment for start-ups to flourish and contribute meaningfully to the agriculture sector.
• Pusa Agriculture and SIIC IIT are also committed to exploring further collaboration possibilities to further progress and innovations in agriculture.
• This partnership will promote innovative activities in the agriculture sector through collaborative efforts leveraging the expertise and resources of both organizations.

Topic: Sports

4. International Olympic Committee (IOC) has accepted the proposal to include cricket in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

• On 13 October, IOC President Thomas Bach made the announcement after the IOC Executive Board meeting in Mumbai.
• IOC accepted LA organizers' proposal to include Twenty20 cricket as one of five new sports, along with baseball/softball, flag football (non-contact American football), squash, and lacrosse.
• However, the final choice of which sports to include in the 2028 program will be voted on at the IOC session in Mumbai on October 16.
• Los Angeles Chiefs have proposed a six-team event in both men's and women's T20 cricket, with the United States set to take the field as the host nation.
• Cricket last appeared at the 1900 Paris Olympics, when a team from Britain defeated a team representing France.
• However, Cricket has been seen at two editions of the Commonwealth Games, in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and Birmingham in 2022.

Topic: Reports and Indices

5. Female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) increased to 37.0 percent.

• On October 9, 2023, the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation released the Periodic Labor Force Survey Report 2022-23.
• The report shows that there has been a significant improvement in female labour force participation in the country.
• This rate increased to 37.0% in 2023 by improving 4.2 percentage points.
• This significant jump in the female labour force participation rate is a result of the Government's decisive program to ensure women's empowerment through policy initiatives aimed at the long-term socio-economic and political development of women.
• Government initiatives span the life cycle of women, including large-scale initiatives for girls' education, skill development, entrepreneurship facilitation, and safety in the workplace.
• Policies and laws in these areas are driving the government's 'women-led development' agenda.
• The increase in FLFPR reflects the increasing participation of women in the labor force.
• It also points to a broader social change, where women are increasingly contributing to the country's progress and their empowerment.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Important Day

6. World Standards Day 2023: 14 October

• Every year on 14 October, World Standards Day is celebrated.
• It is celebrated by the members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• The day is intended to show gratitude to many experts worldwide who evolved the voluntary technical norms that are issued in the form of international standards.
• The day aims to raise awareness among regulators, industry, and consumers about the importance of implementing and developing standards in the global economy.
• The theme of World Standards Day in 2023 is "Shared Vision for a Better World: Incorporating Sustainable Development Goal (SDG3) for Good Health and Well-Being."
• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) celebrated World Standards Day by organizing a wide range of consumer-centric activities through its strong network of regional and branch offices across the country.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. The tenth phase of Sagar Parikrama has been started by Union Minister for Fisheries Parshottam Rupala from Chennai on 13 October 2023.

• He said that Sagar Parikrama was launched with the goal of understanding the needs and the challenges of fishermen.
• He travelled onboard the Indian Coast Guard ship Sujay. The Sujay first landed at Krishnapattinam where there was a fish food festival.
• On October 14, 2023, at Krishnapatnam and the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, the Union Minister and other dignitaries will visit and attend the events.
• The first part of Sagar Parikrama was launched on 5th March 2022 from Mandvi, Gujarat (Sagar Parikrama–Phase I).
• It was completed on 9th October 2023 at Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Sagar Parikrama–Phase IX) covering key areas of the State.
• The nine phases of Sagar Parikrama have been completed and have covered 4,115 km in 9 Coastal states/UTs.
• These Coastal states/UTs are Gujarat, Diu & Daman, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: India and its Neighbourhood

8. Ferry service between India and Sri Lanka started from Nagapattinam to Kankesanthurai on 14 October 2023.

• External Affairs Minister Dr.Jaishankar, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, State Minister E.V.Velu, and Raghupathy virtually flagged off it.
• PM Modi virtually addressed the event. If the weather is good, the ship will arrive at Kankesanthurai port in three hours.
• Poet Subramania Bharathi, who advocated for a bridge linking the two nations, was mentioned by PM Modi.  
• Dr. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, noted that Mr Modi is the first Indian prime minister to offer Jaffna his assistance to rebuild the lives of the Srilankan people.
• According to Sri Lankan Minister De Silva, service to Talaimannar and Rameswaram would start soon.
• State Minister for Ports E.V.Velu said that trade flourished between India, Sri Lanka and Singapore through the Nagapattinam port.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. International Council on Archives (ICA) Congress commenced at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

• The International Council on Archives (ICA) Congress Abu Dhabi 2023 commenced with the theme "Enriching Knowledge Societies".
• The Congress is based on five central themes:
  • "Peace and Tolerance"
  • "Emerging Technologies: Electronic Records, Electronic Solutions"
  • "Sustainable Knowledge, Sustainable Planet: Archives, Records, and Climate Change"
  • "Trust and Evidence,"
  • "Access and Memories."
• Indian Delegation is headed by the Director General of the National Film Archives of India.
• The ICA Congress Abu Dhabi 2023 will be a landmark event in fostering dialogue and cooperation on critical topics such as climate change, emerging technologies, peace, and tolerance.
• Dr Abdullah Al Raisi is the chairman of the Higher Organization Committee of the ICA Congress Abu Dhabi 2023.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awarded and Prizes

10. Hollywood Actor Michael Douglas will be conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas will receive the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
• Michael Douglas during his career bagged two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and an Emmy Award.
• He is known for his roles in many popular films such as Wall Street (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Falling Down (1993), and The American President (1995).
• He has also produced many films including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), The China Syndrome (1979), and The Game (1999).
• He was appointed the UN Messenger of Peace for his commitment to disarmament issues in 1998.
• Earlier this year, he was awarded the honorary Palm D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
• The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was started in 1999 at the 30th IFFI.
• The Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals for their exceptional contributions to the world of cinema.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

11. 32nd Saraswati Samman awarded to Sivasankari.

• On 12 October, noted author and activist Sivasankari was honoured with the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2022 at the National Museum in Delhi.
• She has been awarded for her memoir written in Tamil, Surya Vamsam.   
• The award was presented to her by former Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily.
• A Chayan Parishad (Selection Committee) headed by former Supreme Court judge Arjan Kumar Sikri selected her work.
• She has written 36 novels, 48 novelettes, 150 short stories, five travelogues, seven essay collections, and three biographies.
• She has compiled two collections of Tamil short stories.
• Many of his works have been translated into several Indian languages and also into English, Japanese, and Ukrainian.
• Saraswati Samman:
  • It was started in 1991. It is sponsored by K. K. Birla Foundation.
  • It is given annually for prose or poetry in any one of 22 languages in Schedule VIII of the Indian Constitution.
  • It includes a plaque, a citation, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh. It is given for work published within last 10 years.
  • Saraswati Samman was first won by Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Banking System

12. Rs 5.39 crore penalty on Paytm PB slapped by RBI for violating a series of norms.

• On 12 October, a monetary penalty of Rs 5.39 crore on Paytm Payments Bank imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for violating Know Your Customer norms, among others.
• The Paytm bank had failed to meet certain regulatory provisions under Know Your Customer (KYC) as well as the norms for increasing the maximum balance at the end of the day as stated in the licensing conditions of payments banks.
• The bank was also found to be non-compliant with the 'Cyber Security Framework in Banks', 'Guidelines on Reporting of Unusual Cyber Security Incidents', and 'Securing Mobile Banking Applications including the UPI Ecosystem'.
• RBI had conducted a special investigation from the KYC/Anti-Money Laundering (AML) perspective of the bank.
• From March 2022, Paytm Payments Bank has been barred from adding new customers by the RBI due to supervisory concerns.
• The bank was directed by the regulator to appoint an IT audit firm to conduct a comprehensive system audit of its IT systems.
• RBI had said the onboarding of new customers by Paytm Payments Bank Ltd will be granted after reviewing the report of the IT auditors.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

13. Government granted Navratna Status to IRCON International and RITES.

• IRCON became the 15th Central Public Sector Enterprise to get Navratna status.
• Another PSU, RITES, becomes the 16th Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) to receive this prestigious recognition.
• Over the past year, the stocks of these public sector undertakings (PSUs) have increased significantly.
• These companies will get more freedom in making decisions related to investments, joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions.
• A Navratna company can get ‘Maharatna’ status by meeting specific performance benchmarks and fulfilling certain eligibility criteria.
• Bharat Electronics, Shipping Corporation of India, Hindustan Aeronautics, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam, and Hindustan Aeronautics are some of the Navratna Companies.
• Ircon International Limited is a Government of India Undertaking under the Ministry of Railways. It was established in 1976, by the Indian Railways under the Indian Companies Act 1956.
• RITES Ltd is a central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Railways. It was formed in 1974 under the Ministry of Railways.
• RITES is a leading company in the transport consultancy and engineering sector in India.

Topic: Miscellaneous

14. Shri Anurag Thakur launched the trailer of the animated series Krish, Trish and Baltiboy – Bharat Hain Hum.

• It is produced by the Central Bureau of Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Graphiti Studios.
• It has a total of 52 episodes featuring stories from the Indian Freedom struggle from the 1500s to 1947.
• The series is being hosted by the iconic animated characters Krish, Trish and Balti Boy.
• This series will inspire younger generations from the story of people whose efforts have shaped modern India.
• It will be released in multiple languages including foreign languages.
• A single episode of Bharat Hain Hum has around 50 to 100 characters and on average 50 backgrounds. Each episode will be of 11 minutes.
• Krish, Trish and Baltiboy – Bharat Hain Hum series has been launched by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Rani Abbakka, Tilka Manjhi, Tirot Singh, Peer Ali, Tatya Tope, Kotwal Dhan Singh, Kunwar Singh (an 80-year-old freedom fighter), Rani Chennamma, Tikendra Jeet Singh, and more, stories will be showcased through the series.
• It will be also released on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

(Source: PIB)