Daily Current Affairs and GK | 18 and 19 September 2022

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

1. Central Government’s panel recommended forming a regulatory body for online gaming.

• As per a central government panel, a regulatory body should be formed to regulate online games and to frame rules to block prohibited formats.
• The mobile gaming industry is expected to reach around $5 billion by 2025.
• The regulatory body will determine whether a game is a game of skill or not. The panel also recommends forming an online gaming law with the provision of punishment and blocking powers.
• The new framework will apply to both free and pay-to-play skill games.
• The report of the panel states that the proposed Digital India Act can prohibit games of chance in India.
• The regulatory body could raise entry barriers and scrutiny for new companies.
• The proliferation of online games has created an addiction among youths that often causes financial losses.
• The Revenue Department has stated that online gaming companies should report any "suspicious transactions" to the government's Financial Intelligence Unit.

Topic: State News/Andaman and Nicobar Islands

2. Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been declared as India's first Swachh Sujal Pradesh.

• Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat handed over the certificate to Lieutenant Governor Admiral DK Joshi.
• All villages of Andaman and Nicobar Island have been certified as Har Ghar Jal and verified as open defecation free (ODF) plus.
• The minister said the achievement of the islands will prove to be a source of inspiration for other States and Union Territories.
• Three important components of Sujal and Swachh states are given below.
  • Safe drinking water supply and management
  • ODF Plus: ODF Sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste     Management (SLWM)
  • Cross-cutting interventions like convergence, IEC, action planning, etc
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands was declared to have 100% coverage of rural households with tap water connections on March 22, 2021 (World Water Day).
• After Goa and Telangana, it became the third State/UT in the nation to achieve coverage of 100% of rural households with tap water.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

3. Devendra Jhajharia won the silver medal in World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco.

• He is an Indian javelin thrower. He won the silver medal by throwing the javelin at a distance of 60.97 meters.
• He is a three-time Paralympics medalist. He is the first paralympic athlete from India to win two gold medals at the Paralympics.
• He won his first gold at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens.
• He won the second gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
• He won his third medal, a silver at the 2020 Summer Paralympics at Tokyo.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

4. A state-level institution on the lines of NITI Aayog will be set up in Maharashtra.

• This institution will help in bringing changes in sectors like health, agriculture, education, employment, environment, etc in the state.
• On 18 September, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer, Parameswaran Iyer, and other experts made a presentation on how Aayog will assist Maharashtra in bringing changes in various sectors.
• Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expected the cooperation of NITI aayog in establishing this institute and fulfilling the expectations of the citizens.
• Deputy CM Fadnavis said State Government’s finance department is well prepared for this institute.
• State-level body on the lines of NITI Aayog would be established to conduct comprehensive data analysis and to make studied decisions for transformation in various sectors.

SSC CGL 2022 Notification has been released and the exam pattern has been revised. Check the SSC CGL exam pattern.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. On September 18, a three-day National Conference of State Tourism Ministers started in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

• In the conference, various issues related to the tourism sector, particularly the promotion of tourism in India, will be discussed.
• The conference's goal is to bring together various perspectives on tourism development from all of India's States and Union Territories.
• It also aims to create a direct dialogue with the States about national programs, policies, and actions being taken to improve India's tourism industry as a whole.
• Kishan Reddy said the National Tourism Policy will be brought before the Budget session.
• He also informed that various tourist circuits are being promoted and a new 'Ambedkar Circuit' will be started soon.
• The Ministry has recently launched Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0 which aims to develop sustainable and responsible destinations.
• Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, a total of 76 projects have been approved across 30 states and UTs for the development of tourist infrastructure across various themes.

Topic: International Appointments

6. Vanessa Nakate appointed as new UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

• On 15 September, UNICEF named 25-year-old Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate as a goodwill ambassador.
• Nakate began her climate activism in 2019 after being inspired by Greta Thunberg of Sweden.
• She then founded the Rise Up Movement and addressed the COP25 and COP26 climate summits.
• UNICEF says the world's 2.2 billion children live in one of 33 countries classified as "very high risk" of the effects of climate change.

Topic: Sports

7. Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal in the men's 65 kg category at World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

• He defeated Sebastian C Rivera of Puerto Rico.
• This is Punia's fourth medal at the Championships. He began his journey with bronze in 2013.
• He won silver in the 2018 Championships. He won bronze in 2019. Now, he has four championship medals.
• This is India's second medal at the ongoing World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Topic: International News

8. India has overtaken China as largest bilateral lender for Sri Lanka.

• India has provided a total of 968 million US dollars in loans to Sri Lanka in four months of 2022.
• In the past five years from 2017-2021, the largest bilateral lender to Sri Lanka has been China.
• The largest multilateral lender in the past five years has been Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• ADB disbursed funds amounting to 610 million dollars in 2021.
• According to India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, India had provided nearly 4 billion dollars in the form of food and financial assistance to Sri Lanka.
• On August 22, India handed over 21,000 tonnes of fertilizer to crisis-ridden Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka is facing economic crisis since the beginning of 2022.
• Sri Lanka:
  • It is an island country in South Asia. Sri Lankan rupee is its currency.
  • Ranil Wickremesinghe is the current President of Sri Lanka. Dinesh Gunawardena is the current Prime Minister.
  • Its executive and judicial capital is Colombo, and its legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

9. CSE released a roadmap for legacy waste management and dumpsite remediation.

• The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has released a roadmap for waste management to make India’s cities garbage-free.
• This roadmap includes a sustainable solid waste management plan and ensuring maximum utilization of recovered fractions.
• The plan also includes building the capacity of urban departments, incentivizing management of recovered materials, and ensuring sustainable operation of sanitary landfills.
• Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, it was proclaimed that cities in India should clear legacy waste sites and prevent more waste from reaching dumpsites.
• Around 1300 million tonnes of legacy waste are lying in more than 3,000 dumpsites in the country.
• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE):
  • It is a public-interest research and advocacy organization based in New Delhi.
  • It was established in 1980.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. E-Baal Nidan portal has been revamped for the timely redressal of grievances against violations of child rights.

• For the timely resolution of grievances against violations of child rights, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has revamped the online portal E-Baal Nidan.
• Many new features have been included in this portal like the bifurcation of complaints based on the nature of the complaint into Juvenile Justice, POCSO, Labour, and Education.
• The portal will make the redressal process more transparent and help in the timely disposal of cases.
• The portal will also have a feature for transferring registered complaints from NCPCR to the concerned state commission.
• State Commissions could view the complaints registered on the portal through their user IDs and passwords.
• A child is defined as a person falling in the age group of 0 to 18 years.
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR):
  • It was established as a statuary body by the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
  • It ensures that all laws, policies, programs, and administrative systems conform to the vision of the rights of the child.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

11. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh conferred ’INSPIRE’ awards to 60 start-ups.

• Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh provided financial support to 53000 students and presented INSPIRE awards to 60 start-ups.
• During 2020-21, 6.53 lakh ideas and innovations from all states took part in the annual INSPIRE Awards – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) competition.
• About 51% of the participants were girls, while 84% of the participants were from schools in rural areas.
• The government has identified 53,000 students from 6.53 lakh students, and financial support of 10 thousand rupees each will be provided for developing prototypes of the ideas.
• ’INSPIRE’ award
  • It is instituted by the Department of Science and Technology.
  • It aims to extend support to young entrepreneurs in the country.
  • Its objective is to target one million original ideas and innovations.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

12. Indian industrialist Dr Swati Piramal received France’s highest civilian honour.

• Dr Swati Piramal has received the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) for her contributions in the fields of business and industry, science, and medicine, and for strengthening Indo-French ties.
• Dr Swati Piramal is the vice chairperson of the Piramal Group, a business conglomerate spread across pharmaceuticals, financial services, real estate, and glass packaging.
• Catherine Colonna, France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, conferred the award to Dr Swati Piramal.
• In 2016, Dr Swati Piramal received France's second-highest civilian honour the Knight of the Order of Merit.
• Piramal is also a recipient of the Padma Shri and has served as a member of the Prime Minister of India's Trade Advisory Council and the Scientific Advisory Council.
• The Piramal Museum of Art is hosting the ‘Science beyond Borders’ exhibition.
• Legion of Honour:
  • It was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.
  • It is the highest civilian award given by the French government for outstanding service to France.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. "Rajbhasha Kirti Award" has been given to the CSIR's science magazine "Vigyan Pragati".

• At the Second All India Rajbhasha Sammelan held during 14-15 September 2022, CSIR's science magazine "Vigyan Pragati" received "Rajbhasha Kirti Award".
• The Second All India Rajbhasha Sammelan was organized at the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium, Surat.
• ‘Vigyan Pragati’ is very popular among children, teachers, and researchers. It was started in 1952.
• ‘Vigyan Pragati’ aims to create curiosity about science among young students.
• According to Article 51 of the Constitution, it is every citizen’s fundamental duty to develop a scientific temper, spirit of enquiry, humanism, and reform.
• The Rajbhasha Kirti award is the highest award given by the Government of India in the field of official language implementation.

Topic: National News

14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched National Logistics Policy (NLP) on 17 September in New Delhi.

• The need for a National Logistics Policy was felt because of the high logistics costs in India as compared to other developed countries.
• The National Logistics Policy will assist in lowering India's logistical expenses to increase the competitiveness of Indian goods in the global market.
• It aims to bring down the logistics cost from 13 percent of the GDP to 7.5 percent of the GDP.
• The growth in exports will increase by 5 to 8%, as a result of the decline in logistics costs.
• The reduction in logistics costs will improve efficiency across various sectors of the economy.
• National Logistics Policy will address the issues by laying down an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional framework for the development of the entire logistics ecosystem.
• The National Logistics Policy will boost economic growth and increase employment opportunities.
• It will boost both the Ease of Doing Business as well as the Ease of Living.
• The National Logistics Policy will give a boost to the GatiShakti National Master Plan.