Daily Current Affairs and GK | 15 September 2022

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

1. NITI Aayog hosted the first Shoonya Forum in New Delhi.

• To celebrate the first anniversary of India’s zero pollution e-mobility campaign ‘Shoonya’, the first Shoonya Forum was organized in New Delhi.
• G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog CEO Param Iyer, and several others participated in the forum.
• More than 25 ‘Shoonya’ partners have made the commitment to accelerating electric vehicles’ use to improve air quality.
• Shoonya campaign has 130 industry partners, including ride-hailing, delivery, and EV companies.
• Urban freight vehicles account for 10% of India's freight-related carbon dioxide emissions, which is projected to increase by 114% by 2030.
• ‘Shoonya’ initiative:
  • NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) launched the 'Shoonya' campaign in September 2021.
  • It is an awareness campaign to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the urban delivery segment.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Defence

2. INS Satpura reached Darwin to take part in multinational Exercise Kakadu-2022.

• INS Satpura and P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft are taking part in the two-week-long exercise in Darwin, Australia.
• Ships and maritime aircraft from 14 navies are taking part in the harbour and sea phase of the exercise.
• Royal Australian Air Force is hosting Exercise Kakadu-2022 from 12 to 24 September 2022.
• Recently, an Indian Air Force contingent returned from Australia after taking part in Exercise Pitch Black 22.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Corporates/Companies

3. The "mastermind" behind shell firms with Chinese links arrested by the SFIO.

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs conducted simultaneous search and seizure operations on 8 September 2022 at the offices of Jillian Consultants India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jillian Hong Kong Limited, Gurgaon.
• The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has arrested the mastermind Dortse, a member of the Board of Jillian India Limited.
• He was the mastermind of the entire racket of getting several shell companies with Chinese links to enter India and providing fake directors on their boards.
• It was found that Husys Limited was also acting on behalf of Jilian India Limited.
• Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO):
  • It is India's statutory institution for investigating corporate fraud.
  • Initially, it was established by a resolution adopted by the Government of India on 2 July 2003.
  • SFIO was later accorded statutory status under Section 211 of the Companies Act of 2013.
  • It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the Government of India.
  • Director of SFIO: Keshav Chandra

Topic: Sports

4. Vinesh Phogat won the bronze medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Serbia.

• On September 14 in Belgrade, Serbia, Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to win two medals at the World Championships after winning bronze in the 53-kilogram category.
• She defeated defending European champion Emma Malmgren of Sweden.
• This is her second bronze medal at the Championships.
• In the 2019 edition of the tournament at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, she had previously earned a podium position.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

5. Engineer’s Day 2022: 15 September

• Every year on September 15, Engineer’s Day is celebrated.
• It celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s greatest engineer Sir M Visvesvaraya.
• On 15 September, Visvesvaraya's great works are celebrated as Engineer's Day in India as well as in Sri Lanka and Tanzania.
• Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya:
  • He was born on September 15, 1861 and passed away in 1962.
  • He played a crucial role in dams, reservoirs, and hydro-power projects of India. He was the Chief Engineer for the Krishna Raja Sagar dam project located in Karnataka.
  • He was one among the committee members who had planned the Indian Economy in 1934.
  • He was conferred the Bharat Ratna award in 1955. He also received the title of Knight Commander from the British Government.
  • He designed the automatic barrier water floodgates of the Khadakvasla reservoir.

Topic: Important Days

6. International Day of Democracy: 15 September

• International Day of Democracy is observed every year on 15 September. It is also known as Democracy Day.
• The International Day of Democracy was adopted by a resolution of UNGA in 2007.
• The first International Day of Democracy was observed on 15 September 2008.
• This year, this day is focused on the “importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals”.
• International Day of Democracy gives an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.

Topic: Science and Technology

7. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) has become the first Indian institute to join IBM Quantum Network.

• IIT-Madras has joined this network to advance quantum computing skills development and research in India.
• IIT Madras will get cloud-based access to IBM’s most advanced quantum computing systems as a member of the IBM Quantum Network.
• The Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing (CQuICC) at IIT Madras has been developed to focus on advancing core algorithms in Quantum Machine Learning and Quantum Optimization. 
• Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “We aim at setting up an IITM-IBM Quantum Innovation hub at IIT Madras.”
• Researchers will use IBM Quantum services alongside the open-source Qiskit framework to explore areas such as quantum algorithms and quantum machine learning.
• Qiskit is an open-source software development kit for working with quantum computers. It is developed by IBM Research.
• IBM Quantum Network is a global community of Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, academic institutions, and research labs working with IBM to advance ‎quantum computing. The IBM Quantum Network has a total of 180 members.

Topic: Banking System

8. HDFC Bank has become the first bank in India to issue an electric bank guarantee (e-BG) in partnership with NeSL.

• e-BG will be issued on the National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) portal through an Application Programming Interface (API)-based digital workflow.
• e-BG has been developed in consultation with NeSL, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) committee, and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
• This has been done to simplify the process and eliminate the possibility of fraud and manipulation.
• The earlier paper-based process was time-consuming. It took 3-5 days to pick up a paper-based bank guarantee from the bank, courier it to the beneficiary, stamp it, and re-verify it.
• HDFC Bank is headquartered in Mumbai. Its CEO is Sashidhar Jagdishan.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

9. FAO and WFP jointly published a report titled “Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM)”.

• A joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) was completed in June and July 2022.
• This report has analyzed the agricultural production of Sri Lanka in 2022.
• Key Highlights of the report are as follows:
  • Around 2.2 million tonnes of cereals need to be imported in 2022.
  • The livestock industry has been severely impacted in 2022. The production of chicken meat and eggs has decreased.
  • Paddy production has decreased 42% year over year, reaching its lowest level since 2017.
  • In the first six months of 2022, 932.000 tonnes of cereals were imported.
  • Vegetable, fruit, and export-oriented crop production was lower than average.
  • Prices of food items are increasing steadily.
  • The highest level of acute food insecurity is in the tea production sector.
  • The food security situation could deteriorate between October and February 2023.
  • During 2021-22, the Seed availability for paddy, maize and other crops was less.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. NSDF signed MoU with NTPC and REC for the development of sports.

• The National Sports Development Fund (NSF) signed an MoU with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) for the development of sports in India.
• The MoU has been signed in the presence of Union Power Minister R K Singh and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur.
• For the development of sports in India, NTPC will contribute 115 crore rupees for archery over the next five years.
• Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) will give financial assistance of 100 crore rupees over three years for Women’s Hockey, Athletics and Boxing.
• The financial support will be used for grassroots development of the sports, training of identified talent, training of elite talent, etc.
• National Sports Development Fund:
  • It was formed in 1998 under the Charitable Endowments Act 1890.
  • Its main aim is to impart momentum and flexibility to sports in India.
  • It provides financial assistance for the development of infrastructure and other activities for the promotion of sports.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

11. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will launch Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav.

• This special voluntary blood donation drive will be organized from 17 September to 1 October 2022 across the country.
• This blood donation drive has been launched as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• National Voluntary Blood Donation Day is observed on 1^st October.
• Registration for the Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav has started on the E-Raktkosh portal and Aarogya Setu app.
• Blood collected from donors is separated usually into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
• People having O- type blood are universal donors while AB+ blood group people are considered universal acceptors.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

12. Occupancy Rate in prisons have increased in 2021 as compared to last year: Prison Statistics India 2021 Report.

• The National Crime Records Bureau has published the Prison Statistics India (PSI) 2021 report.
• According to the latest data, the number of prisons at the national level has increased from 1,306 in 2020 to 1,319 in 2021.
• In India, Rajasthan has the most prisons (144), followed by Tamil Nadu (142), Madhya Pradesh (131), and Andhra Pradesh (106).
• Delhi has the most Central jails (14), while there are no central jails in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, the A&N Islands, DNH & Daman Diu, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep.
• The capacity of prisons has increased from 4,14,033 in 2020 to 4,25,609 in 2021, an increase of 2.8%.
• The number of prisoners lodged in various jails has increased by 13.4% (4,88,511 in 2020 to 5,54,034 in 2021).
• Uttar Pradesh has the highest capacity in its jails (capacity of 63,751 inmates in 75 jails), followed by Bihar (capacity of 47,750 inmates in 59 jails) and Madhya Pradesh (capacity of 29,571 inmates in 131 jails).
• With a 21.3% prison population, Uttar Pradesh has the most prisoners, followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

• The number of convicted prisoners has increased from 1,12,589 in 2020 to 1,22,852 in 2021, an increase of 9.1%.
• The number of undertrial prisoners has increased by 14.9%, from 3,71,848 in 2020 to 4,27,165 in 2021.
• Uttar Pradesh has reported the maximum number of undertrials and Convicted Prisoners.
• During 2020-21, the number of detenues decreased from 3,590 in 2020 to 3,470 in 2021.
• There are 1,650 women prisoners with 1,867 children, out of the total women Prisoners with Children 1,418 women prisoners are undertrial prisoners.
• The maximum number of inmates is of the 18-30 age group (2,41,320 inmates).
• As of 31st December 2021, 472 prisoners with capital punishment were lodged in various jails of India.
• The number of deaths in prisons has increased from 1,887 in 2020 to 2,116 in 2021.
• A total of 312 prisoners escaped during 2021 and 17 incidences of jail breaks also occurred during this period.

Topic: National News

13. IBA recommended setting up of testing labs in all States to achieve SATAT target.

• To achieve the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) target, the Indian Biogas Association (IBA) suggested setting up of testing labs in all States within two years.
• Under the SATAT initiative, 5,000 compressed biogas (CBG) plants would be set up by 2025 with a production target of 15 million metric tonnes.
• Currently, there are only 3-4 labs for testing biomass. The establishment of labs is very important to use the full potential of the biomass.
• SATAT is an innovative initiative under which PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) invite Expression of Interest (EoI) from potential entrepreneurs to set up Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production plants.
• Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas had launched the SATAT initiative to have CBG production facilities.
• A committee has been formed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for Indian-specific biogas standards. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is preparing the draft with the help of industry experts.
• Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG):
  • When purified biogas is compressed, it is known as Compressed Bio-Gas.
  • It contains more than 90% of methane and can be used as green renewable automotive fuel.
  • Its calorific value and other properties are similar to CNG.

Topic: Space and IT

14. ISRO is developing intelligent geostationary communication satellites.

• ISRO is developing geostationary communication satellites that can be re-configured as per the demand of the customers.
• The re-configuration of the geostationary satellites can be done by changing frequencies and bandwidth.
• The 'intelligent' GSATs would allow the shaping of spot beams and antennas, as per the demand of the customers.
• ISRO will encourage the private sector to build these types of geostationary communication satellites.
• Geostationary satellite:
  • It is an earth-orbiting satellite placed over at an altitude of 35,800 kilometers (22,300 miles) over the equator.
  • Geostationary communication satellites are mainly used in telecommunications, television broadcasting, weather forecasting, etc.

Topic: National News

15. Union Cabinet approved the proposal for the inclusion of five states' tribes under the ST category.

• Under the chairmanship of PM Modi, Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for the inclusion of tribes of five states in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
• The states whose tribes have been included in the list are Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.
• The Cabinet approved the proposal to change the status of the Gond community living in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh from the Scheduled Caste to the Scheduled Tribe.
• This includes the five subcategories of the Gond community (Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari, and Rajgond).
• In Chhattisgarh, the proposal to add synonyms to tribes like the Bharia (variations added include Bhumia and Bhuyian), Gadhwa (Gadwa), Dhanwar (Dhanawar, Dhanuwar), Nagesia (Nagasia, Kisan), and Pondh (Pond) has also been approved by the Cabinet.