Daily Current Affairs and GK | 15 and 16 October 2023

Topic: International News

1. Australia rejected constitutional reform to recognize Indigenous people.

• The referendum to give constitutional recognition to Indigenous peoples was rejected by voters.
• More than 60% of Australians voted "No" in the landmark referendum.
• The highest number of votes in the favour of referendum were registered in Victoria with 46 per cent, with Queensland seeing the lowest at 32 per cent.
• The referendum was conducted to alter the constitution and to recognize Australia's Indigenous people in the constitution.
• The Indigenous citizens are around 3.8 per cent of Australia’s population.
• Indigenous people have lived in the region for more than 65,000 years but are not mentioned in the constitution.
• They remain disadvantaged in a range of areas including health and housing.
• This is the first referendum in Australia since voters rejected a proposal to become a republic.
• Australia is the only Commonwealth country that has never signed a treaty with its Indigenous people.
• Any constitutional amendment in Australia requires a national referendum.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

2. Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar virtually addressed the high-level panel discussion on “Scaling up Integration of NCDs in Primary Care” at the World Health Summit 2023 on 15 October 2023.

• Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar is the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.
• Dr Roderico H Ofrin, WHO India Representative was also present in the discussion.
• This year, the theme of the World Health Summit is “A Defining Year for Global Health Action.”
• Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar highlighted India’s efforts at reducing non-communicable diseases.
• She said that “India has launched the 75/25 initiative.”
• This initiative is aimed at screening and providing standard of care for 75 million individuals with hypertension and diabetes by 2025.
• Central government launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) under the National Health Mission (NHM) in 2010.
• World Health Summit is an international conference. It has been held in Berlin every October since 2009.
• In 2023, the World Health Summit is taking place from October 15 to 17, 2023 in Berlin and digitally.

Topic: Personality in News

3. Manohar Singh Gill passed away.

• He was the former chief election commissioner. He served as the chief election commissioner between December 1996 and June 2001.
• Gill and GVG Krishnamurty became members of the Election Commission at the time TN Seshan was heading the Election Commission.
• After retirement, he joined the Congress party. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2004.
• He served as a member of Rajya Sabha until his retirement after completing two six-year terms in 2016.
• He also served as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2000. He wrote the book Himalayan Wonder: Travels in Lahaul and Spiti.
• He also wrote the book Tales from the Hills: Lahaul's Enduring Myths and Legends.

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

4. UP CM Yogi Adityanath launched the 4^th phase of Mission Shakti.

• It focused on promoting women's safety, respect and self-reliance.
• He launched the 4th phase from his official residence as he flagged off a Women Empowerment Rally.
• The aim of the women empowerment rally is to enhance public awareness regarding government schemes for the welfare of women and daughters.
• He said morning rallies will be conducted in schools and colleges across each district.
• The government will recognize and honour individuals and entities demonstrating exemplary efforts in enhancing women's safety, respect, and self-reliance within their districts.
• The Balini Milk Producer project was initiated by the government in 2019.
• This project supports a group of 5 to 7 women who have completed third to fifth-grade education.
• He said, "Starting October 15, extensive programs will be run across the state to raise awareness among women and address their concerns.”

Topic: National News

5. A “Compendium of PM GatiShakti” released by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal.

• On 13 October, on the occasion of the completion of two years of PM Gati Shakti, the “Compendium of PM Gati Shakti” was released in New Delhi.
• This compendium includes some of the best use cases showcasing the adoption and benefits of PM GatiShakti across the country.
• Over the last two years, PM GatiShakti has been instrumental in planning over 7,000 km of expressways.
• The year 2022-23 saw a significant increase in the Final Location Survey (FLS) for new railway lines with over 400 projects as against only 57 last year.
• This platform has also revolutionized the preparation of detailed surveys for petroleum and natural gas pipelines.
• This process has reduced the time taken from 6 to 9 months to just a few hours, thereby demonstrating a commitment to environmental protection by reducing deforestation.
• PM Gatishakti represents an unprecedented approach to infrastructure planning using data to make informed decisions.
• The government launched the PM Gati Shakti programme on 13 October 2021.
• It was launched with a vision to enable a mechanism for coordinated planning.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

6. Green Credit Programme has been notified by the government.

• On October 13, the ‘green credit’ program was notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• It is a first-of-its-kind market-based instrument designed to incentivize individuals, industries, and local bodies across sectors for their voluntary environmental actions.
• The program is a domestic voluntary market mechanism, where a green credit serves as a single unit of credit provided for each specified activity.
• In 2021, it was announced as part of the government's 'Lifestyle for the Environment' or 'LiFE' movement.
• In its initial phase, it will focus on two key activities: water conservation and afforestation.
• A user-friendly digital platform will streamline the processes of registration of projects, its verification, and issuance of green credits.
• The Green Credit Registry and Trading Platform is being developed by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education along with experts.
• On June 26, 2023, the ministry had proposed the draft Green Credit Programme Implementation Rules 2023 and had invited objections and suggestions within 60 days.
• Overall, the rules identified eight sectors for these activities:
  • Tree plantation
  • Water
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Waste management
  • Air pollution reduction
  • Mangrove conservation and restoration
  • Ecomark (a government scheme to identify environment-friendly products)
  • Sustainable building and infrastructure
• In addition, the ‘Ecomark Scheme’ was also notified by the ministry for the labeling of environmentally friendly products.
• Ecomarks will provide accreditation and labeling for household and other consumer products that meet the quality requirements of the Indian Standards for that product and certain environmental criteria.

Topic: Sports

7. Raunak Sadhwani has won at the FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship 2023.

• He is Maharashtra's youngest Grandmaster. He emerged as the U-20 World Junior Rapid Chess champion in Italy.
• The 11-round rapid tournament was organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
• In 2nd and 5th rounds, Raunak lost to FM Robert Piliposyan (Armenia) and IM Konstantin Peyrer (Austria). 
• Raunak won eight rounds and lost two to earn 8.5 points and became world junior rapid champion.
• In a decisive match against Tobias Koelle, Raunak emerged victorious.
• Tobias Koelle led the competition for the majority of the event.
• Last week, 17-year-old Raunak helped world no.1 Magnus Carlsen win his maiden European title.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

8. World Students’ Day: 15 October

• India celebrates World Students’ Day on October 15.
• It is observed to mark the birth anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
• World Students’ Day 2023 theme is “Empowering the Future: Education for All”.
• This year, World Students’ Day focused on the topic “FAIL: stands for First Attempt in Learning.”
• Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th Indian President from 2002 to 2007.
• Dr Kalam was born on October 15, 1931 in Rameswaram on Pamban Island. Pamban Island is in Tamil Nadu.

Topic: Indian Economy

9. In Q2 of FY24, New investment dropped by 13%.

• In the second quarter of 2023-24, Fresh investment has dropped to ₹6.9 lakh crore, 13% less than the first quarter.
• The decline in investment commitments during Q2 comes after a 45.8% sequential decline recorded in the first quarter.
• A total of 2,238 new projects with an investment of ₹6.88 lakh crore were announced in Q2.
• 2,745 new projects worth ₹7.91 lakh crore were announced in Q1.
• In Q2, the highest decline in foreign and Union projects was witnessed.
• Private investment plans contracted for the second consecutive quarter, although it was a slower pace of 0.24% compared with the 62.5% contraction in the first quarter.
• ₹3.93 lakh crore of private investment projects have been announced in Q2.
• New projects from Union government agencies dropped 47.4% in Q2.
• The irrigation sector, which is generally driven by small investments initiated by states, was the only sector to register sequential growth in the second quarter.
• Odisha and Telangana are the top two states to receive new investment in Q2.

Topic: Important Days

10. Government officially declared August 23 as National Space Day.

• To commemorate the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, the Government has announced August 23 as National Space Day.
• Chandrayaan-3 Mission with Vikram Lander and Pragyaan Rover landed on the lunar surface.
• India has become the fourth country in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon.
• India is the first country to land near the south pole of the lunar surface.
• This day will inspire younger generations to take interest in STEM. It will also help in boosting the space sector.
• Vikram lander and Pragyan rover conducted a series of successful lunar activities and experiments.

Topic: Personality in News

11. Veteran journalist K S Sachchidanand Murthy passes away at the age of 68.

• He died in Bengaluru, having recently undergone a lung transplant.
• He was battling for life and death on a ventilator for the last few days.
• He was one of the most renowned journalists in the national capital Delhi.
• Sachchidananda Murthy had worked as the local editor of Malayala Manorama and The Week.
• In his illustrious career as a journalist, he also served as the General Secretary of the Editors Guild of India and a member of the Press Council.
• In 2007, He was the General Secretary of the Editors Guild of India and the Chairman of the Lok Sabha Press Advisory Committee in 2009.
• Karnataka Media Academy also honoured Mr Murthy for his contribution to journalism.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

12. International Olympic Committee suspended Russia’s Olympic Committee for violations against Ukraine.

• Russia's Olympic Committee has been suspended with immediate effect and until further notice for violating the Olympic Charter after it involved sports bodies from four regions associated with Ukraine.
• The suspension was announced as a reaction to Russia's decision to recognize Olympic councils from the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia.
• This move violated the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee. Russia would not be eligible for any funding from the IOC as a result.
• However, the suspension has not yet affected the chances of neutral Russian athletes competing at next year's Paris Olympics, a decision on which will be taken at a later date.
• This is not the first time that ROC has faced punishment from the IOC.
• In 2017, it was banned from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and ordered to pay $15 million for multiple doping offenses.
• Russian athletes were also banned from competing under their flag following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. Union Minister Piyush Goyal presented the National Intellectual Property Awards in New Delhi.

• At the National Intellectual Property Conference 2023, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal conferred the National Intellectual Property Awards.
• It is conferred annually to recognize and reward the top achievers comprising individuals, institutions, organizations and enterprises, for their Intellectual Property (IP) creations and commercialisation.
• The award includes a trophy, citation and a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh.
• The award is given by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• On this occasion, he said that transformation is an essential part of making India a developed economy and Innovation is at the centre of transformation.
• He announced plans for a 100% digitalization of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks for increasing efficiency.
• India's ranking in the global innovation index has improved from 81st position in 2014 to 40th position in 2023.
• National Intellectual Property Awards 2021 & 2022 were awarded to IIT Madras.

Topic: State News/ Nagaland

14. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated Nagaland’s first Medical College in Kohima.

• Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated Nagaland’s first Medical College - Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR), at Phreibagei in Kohima.
• It will not only provide medical education but will also contribute to research.
• The new medical college will provide quality and affordable healthcare.
• The establishment of the medical college is a step towards achieving the "Vision 2030" goal of providing accessible, available, and affordable healthcare.
• It will also open many opportunities in the healthcare sector and benefit the youths of the state.
• Union Health Minister said that Nagaland is a land of opportunities with its vibrant culture, tradition, and peaceful lifestyle of the people.
• Calcutta Medical College is one of the oldest existing hospitals in Asia. It was established on 28 January 1835 by Lord William Bentinck.

(Source: News on AIR)